'13 Reasons Why' Adds 4 New Characters, Reinforcing Its Commitment To Expand The Story

Despite a controversial freshman run, 13 Reasons Why is pushing full steam ahead. The Netflix drama added seven new actors earlier this week, and now 13 Reasons Why has cast four more characters in its upcoming second season. Deadline reported on Thursday that Jake Weber (Medium), Brenda Strong (Supergirl), Meredith Monroe (Criminal Minds) and R.J. Brown (The Carrie Diaries) have all signed on as recurring players.

Strong will play Nora Walker, Bryce's mother, and Weber will portray his father, Barry, "a successful hedge fund manager and pillar of the community." Monroe will take on the role of Carolyn, a hardworking nurse and the mother of Alex — whose fate is still hanging in the balance — while Brown will play Tony’s boxing trainer, Caleb, who's described by Deadline as "a fierce competitor and dedicated coach" with "a warm smile" and "wry sense of humor" outside the ring.

The influx of new faces reinforces the writers' promise to expand the story during the show's second go-round. Season 1 was told entirely through the perspective of Hannah Baker, a conflicted teen who, after a string of traumas, commits suicide and leaves behind a series of cassette tapes detailing the reasons and people she deems responsible.

Beth Dubber/Netflix

By the end of Season 1, however, Hannah's story had finished quite definitively, leaving viewers curious about how 13 Reasons Why would continue. Then in June, creator Brian Yorkey revealed they'll find a new narrator and broaden to different points of view, though Hannah will still be returning.